I forget if I already posted about this! Me and Brent and Mem are headed to Nashville March 2-8 to record a new album, not really sure what's going to come of it... Using the studio/skills of Roger Moutenot, the guy who produced all the Yo La Tengo albums of the late 90s/00s. I've got a list of about 7 definite songs and maybe another 7 maybes, will see how it comes out before knowing which songs end up worth including. But i like the idea of a trip out of town, with the sole purpose of recording. Then what to do for album art?!?! Too early to start thinking about it.

Basically just work, I booked it as 7 days in the studio and no extra time to be there, so we'll fly in on March 2 and go straight to the studio from the airport to start setting up... then the last studio day is March 8 and we'll fly home the next day. Maybe there'll be some time in an evening or a morning to see or do some Nashville stuff, but the recording time is the main reason to be there, the fact that Roger Moutenot's studio happens to be in Nashville is just arbitrary. I picture just being in the studio the majority of the time. But who knows, maybe it won't even take that long to record everything. Usually in these situations it seems to take a long time to set up the drum kit to record, they always want to try out different microphones or whatever.

Thanks for these great news Have a good time recording - hopefully not too hard work & free time for Nashville, too!!
Is there any chance the album will be available on your next Europe tour already? Guess it's too short time - how long does it take to get an album ready?

Usually a record label seems to want 6 months of lead time. Like, when you give them the finished, mastered album, plus all the finished artwork, they schedule a release date about 6 months later. They've usually already got a bunch of albums coming out, they don't want to put out too much stuff at the same time because it's harder to get reviews.
For me making the art usually takes longer than making the recordings, at least for the albums from 12 Crass Songs to Em Are I to Dream-Songs to Manhattan, I kept trying to make elaborate art and packaging that took a lot of time to get finished and that made the album releases delayed. I haven't even started thinking about art for a new album, so even if I DO get the whole album recording finished in early March I don't know when I'll have time to think of some album-art ideas and start working on them.
I'm a bit scared to try, because I feel like I did my best on the Manhattan album, I don't know what I could do next. Maybe I shouldn't even try, just have it be a regular simple album-art situation for once. I know the record labels don't sell many CDs anymore anyway, so they really don't want to put much energy or money into manufacturing CD packages.
Anyway, I feel like it's too early to think about this stuff. Though really it's not too early, I should be thinking about it now! Plan ahead!

Maybe see if the recording of it inspires any art ideas, it's a different place so maybe it will have a different feel to it and that can be translated into the pictures. I don't think there's anything wrong with going for a more simple look on this one compared to the last few, or maybe something completely new. A photograph of a sculpture? An oil painting? An embroidery?! I'm looking forward to hearing it even if it is a long time away. x_________________The only difference between our secrets is whether we allow them to evolve into tales of heroism or fear.

I always love your album packagings, the covers are one of the main reasons I still buy CDs. But I can't imagine the time it takes for you to make them! Perhaps a simpler packaging would suffice, where there's just the cover drawing and not the whole (admittedly amazingly pretty) folding-out, filled with references and jokes cardboard sleeve?

Oh, and an easy album cover thing is that I just really appreciate having the written down lyrics. I have known songs for over a decade that suddenly changed meaning when I finally was able to properly understand one sentence!

It's true that including the lyrics is an easy way to have some content for an album package, but I think it's almost a lazy way to take up space in a package without needing much creativity! Also sometimes when other people figure out or write down the lyrics, there's a chance they hear something a little different, and it's sometimes something better than the real lyrics. Sometimes I've even changed the words to songs, when somebody thinks it's something else, and I agree that their interpretation is better!
But also as a music listener I do sometimes find it frustrating when I listen to a band and I wish I had the lyrics because there are parts I can't understand. It's great that Crass always printed all their lyrics in the their album sleeves, otherwise it would have been almost impossible to understand 70% of the songs!
But then with The Fall it's very difficult to understand the lyrics but that makes it so much more fun, every time you listen you hear new details, and you can discuss and debate the lyrics with other fans, and surprise each other with what you have discovered.

I'm a big fan of the lyric sheet too, i always read them and often sing along.,_________________The only difference between our secrets is whether we allow them to evolve into tales of heroism or fear.

Yeah, I think it's great that the Message Board is a way for people to find lyrics, it's like it's more personal that way! Only the people who really care to find the Message Board can find the lyrics and other info!